Lock shingle



Aug, E?, i948. M. G. oRElLLY I f 2,447,466

LOCK SHINGLE Filed Jan. 19, 1946 fmwui@ Patented Aug. 17, 1948 LCCKSHINGLE Martin G. OReilly, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Ford RoofingProducts Com poration of Illinois pany, Chicago, Ill., a cor-Application January 19, 1946, Serial No. 642,302

2 Claims.

1 This invention relates shingles.

Lock shingles are generally made from flexible material called preparedroofing and are of such design as to provide formations adapted tointerlock with adjacent shingles to assist in holding the exposed lowerportion of the shingle against curling or flexure. It is thus possibleto effect economies by making the shingle much larger than would bepossible with material of this flexibility without increasing the dangerto leakage which would otherwise be present owing to the ease with whichflexible material of this character can be bent up by wind during stormsunless the lower edge thereof be fastened down. The interlockingelements if eiiicient generally result in a shingle of complex contourwhich results in an unconventional or unpleasing shingle pattern on theroof. Moreover it is difficult to cut shingles of this character fromthe sheetV roofiing material without waste. Production of waste isobjectionable not so much because of loss due to waste material but tothe impossibility of preventing pieces of waste from lodging between theshingles in a package and therefore discoloring or marring the surfaceof the shingle.

Among other objects the invention aims to provide an efiiclent andimproved lock shingle which presents a regular or conventional shinglepattern in the roof and yet which may be cut wthout waste. Heretoforelock shingles which have presented a regular, e. g. rectangular shingleoutline, have involved the use of an excessive amount of roofingmaterial, and the exposed shingle pattern has been limited or determinedby the design or dimensions of the locking elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shingle of thischaracter which may be nailed or fastened to the roof closely adjacentthe bottom of the exposed shingle tab without exposing the nail.

'Ihe nature of the invention may be readily understood by reference toone illustrative shingle and its method of manufacture shown in theaccompanying drawing.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the illustrative shingle;

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the manner of cutting the shingleswithout waste from a sheet of roong material. 'Ihe diagram illustrates asheet of roofing material having a width correspending to the depth ofonly one shingle but it will be understood that in practice the roofingsheet is wide enough to provide a plurality of rows of shingles thuscut; and

to so-called lock Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of a roof surfacecovered by a plurality of courses o-f interlocked shingles of the typeillustrated in Fig. 1.

The illustrative shingle which may be preferably cut from so-calledprepared roofing which is flexible in character, comprises a rectangularexposer body portion I0 having straight and parallel upper and loweredges II and I2. Projecting from each side edge are head tabs I3 whosecombined width preferably equals the Width of the body portion IIJ.Below the head tabs and projiect'ing from an intermediate middle portionof the body are nailing tabs It adapted to receive nails for attachingthe shingle. The nailing tabs are preferably made'substantially wide attheir i lower portions I5 so as to allow substantial latitude in theplacing of a nail. Often, owing to the character of the surface overwhich the shingles are applied, it is impossible for the workman toplace the nail at the same point in each tab. It is necessary to shiftthe nail to a point over a rm spot underneath the tab. The wide lowerportion is provided on the nailing tab by cutting the side edge I 5a ofthe tabs so as to diverge outwardly toward the lower edge of the tab.The latter is provided with a locking notch I6 which preferably alignswith the imaginary side edge I'I of the body portion. The notch isformed simply by slitting the roong material and preferably not removingany material which may become lodged between shingles in a bundle. Thenotch is adapted to interlock with an adjacent shingle as nextdescribed.

Projecting from the lower portion of the shingle and preferably in linewith the lower edge thereof are locking tabs I8 adapted to seat in thenotches I6 of adjacent shingles. The locking tab i8 is here shown of thesame depth as the notch i6 so that when the shingles of one course areinterlocked with the shingles of the next lower course, the lower edgeI2 will register with the edges I5 of the nailing tabs of the next lowercourse. By reference to Fig, 2 it will be observed that the contour ofthe side edge of a shingle is complementary with that of another shinglein reversed position. Thus the material for forming the wide lowerportion of the nailing tabis provided by narrowing the upper portion I9of the nailing tab of the complementary shingle. The locking tabs I8 ofeach shingle are complementary withnotches cut in the concealed uppercorners of the head tabs I3 of the complementary shingle.

In the illustrative shingle the head tabs and nailing tabs each occupyone-third of the height the head tabs I3 of each course are abutted and,

aligned. Thus each course comprises a series of body portions IIlseparated by spaces of a width'.

equal to that of the body. portion. The next overlying course isstaggeredso'that"`the:bodyr portions of the shingles of 'that' courseregis'- ter with the spaces between the shingles of the course below.

As each course is laid the shingles are nailed by driving nails 2lthrough the nailing tabs I'4 i wherever the workman finds a rm spotunderneath the-:tahtv lrefer'ablytll"e-r1-ails should be located fairlyLclose Lto 'thefllower edge :of *the Vtabs since*the@interlock4 Vwiththe 'adjoining' vshingle occurs -at this point; After :thusYnailingja'course of `shingles l=th"efnext vcourse is I applied by:inserting eachflocking tab I8`ina notch'lof the lower shingle ein theysaid lower course-andthe body the 'sai'dlower -"course, The lower edge"I 2 `-of the shlnglespf'one coursealignswith the lower edges I5fof"the#underlying nailing'I tabs thus providing a11--ex'1: osedvdublethicknessof roofing at the lower edgefof the shingletoprovide'a'heavy sh'adow-` line whichimproves the appearance ortextureo'f thereof. If' desired, ,the locking tabs. I8"may be partlynotched ata pointin'alignment witl'mctch I6. In that event the notch I6`is made shorter.- The combined depth of the notches should equal 'th'edepth of the `locking'` tab-I8 so that the ylower edge ofthe shingleI2'v will' register with the r`edge I .i ofv thev` underlying;

nailingftab'.'

'Successive' courses -of shingles-` are thusl laid; the-"shingles of'one 4course being staggered relative to-those of thenext lower course.'The resultaritsh'ingle outline' or pattern is 'a verygdesir` able-onegnamelyvthat providedby a series Aof plain-staggered rectangles Whosedepth is itwothirdsof'fthe `total Y' depth of the shingle; While thesideedges ofthe exposed rectangular :areas are in alignment with th'ose ofrthe next lower coursey it `will *benoted that at all pointe` sumcientside underlap -is provided to' prevent v.lealiagef The-minimumunderlapoccurs at .the top I9: oifleachA nailing tab but at this pointav third thickness lof'rooiing that comprising thev head tabl-I3l'oftheunderlying: shingle of the second lower cou-rse, registers with thenailing tab.

vDespitey thesubstantial width ofythe'shingles, the lower edge I2 ofeach shingle is firmly fastened at itsccrners by the lockingtabs I8which are 'in turn heldV down by the closely adjacent underlying nailwhich passes vth'roughthe locking tab I4"' atI a 'point closely;adjacent:v the '.point' of interlock. Withoutv sacrifice in protectionAat points where it is required and withoutmodiiication=ofi-thewrectarigular shingle pattern,l itispossibleby-tapering'the nailing tabs as shown to provide a substantialareaior receiving a nailat a --point closelyadjacent the locked vcornerofthe lower edge of the overlying course of shingles: The=-workmanmayfthus'locate 'the *nail at arm spot on the underlying supportingsurface. This is important because shingles of this character are oftenlaid over old shingled surfaces which because of their irregularity donot provide points of uniform rmness to which' the shingles may benailed. If a nail be driven at a soft or hollow spot the shingle is veryoften broken .when drivingrin the nail. With thelpresentshin'gle thelower portion of the nailing tab is of suflicient area to make itpossible to locate the nail at a firm spot and thereby to avoid breakageof the sbingle' in nailing.

Obviously. the invention is not limited to the detailssoftheillustrative shingle or its method ofi;manuiacture since these may bevariously modified.' Mreover it is not indispensable that allfeaturesrof the invention be used conjointly since various.. featuresmay be used to advantage in different combinations and sub-combinations.

Having described my invention, YI claim:

` 1E A lock shingle comprising in combination-a rectangular body portionhaving straight top-and bottom edges and having projectinggfrom'eachside edge a head tab, an intermediate nailingtab'; an'd'a locking tab atthe bottom edge oithe shingle, the inner ends of said intermediate and;

locking tabs being in alignment withthe"ad'ja= centside edge ci saidbody portion; tlle'contourV of 'each side 'of "th'e shingle beingcomplementary withthat of another like shingle in'reversedzpos'ition sothat said shingles may be'cut' 'fromrooiing'V material without waste,said nailing'f'talis'having'A their outer side edges divergingvdownwardly'to' increase the area of each nailingtab adjacent its'.

lower edge vwithout increasing the total varea of the l'nailing tab,notch means for interlocking the locking tab of an adjacent shinglewitha nailing-I tab inline `with a side edge of said Arectangular'body,- therebyA to expose only saidV rectangular bodyportion, the widerlower Aportionsofgsaid nailingt'abs providing substantial nailing-areasclosely adjacent Isaid interlockingmeans;

2. Allock shingle comprising in combination a* rectangular exposed bodyportion 'havingI nailingY vtabsprojecting from its opposite side edgesintermediate the top and bottom edges thereof and" havinglocking tabsprojecting from saidoppo'- site'side edges adjacent said bottom edges;Isaid nailing tabs being tapered by having their-side edges divergingtoward said bottom edge so that thev nailing tabs are substantiallywider at their bottoms than .at their tops, notch means adjacent vthewider lower ends of said nailing tabs and in alignment with the sideedges of said rectangular body portion for forming an interlockingconnection with a locking tab of an adjacent shingle which overlies saidnailing tab, the wider lower portions of ysaid nailingtabs-providingsubstantial'areas adjacent the interlocking connec-V.tions to receive Lfastening nails.

MARTIN OREILLY;`

REFERENCES "CITED i The following references are of recordin the le ofthis patent:

UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date' 1510,535v Abraham4 Oct; 7,` 1924'13669,981 Harris May'v15, 1928' 1,674,008 Guy June 19,11928' 1,825,576Butterick Sept; 29,` v1931' 2,050,218" Abraham Aug;` v4, 11936*

